Guy Quenneville
Northern News Services
Friday, June 1, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - An American news story has touched off concerns among some Yellowknife parents and teachers about a new type of drug directed toward youth and discovered in several American states.

The drug, nicknamed "Strawberry Quick," is a form of methamphetamine (crystal meth) that drug dealers are now mixing with powdered drink mix to mask its harsh chemical taste, according to an RCMP press release.

But Const. Roxanne Dreilich said no such drug has been found in Yellowknife, nor any type of methamphetamine, in the past year.

"Meth in Yellowknife isn't something we see on a regular basis," she said. "There are rumours, but we haven't had any occurrences of it (in the past year). What we see most often is cocaine or crack cocaine.

"There have been no incidents of high schoolers dealing those drugs."

The press release also states that "there are no known sources of this drug in Yellowknife" but at the same time encourages parents to educate themselves about illegal drugs.

According to Dreilich, the concern over the drug began when a local teacher came across a web page on the Internet with information on Strawberry Quick. The teacher then "started e-mailing it to other teachers out of concern for the students. To my knowledge, it was not a formal thing put out by the school."

The e-mail has been circulated among several local schools, according to the release. The RCMP received a half-dozen or so calls from concerned parents, said Dreilich.

A source at William McDonald Middle School, who wished that her name not be revealed, said that a concerned parent of a Grade 6 student sent an e-mail about the drug to a teacher at the school, who then forwarded it to other staff members. It is not known whether this was the e-mail that initially sparked concerns.

Strawberry Quick first came to public light in North America after its discovery in January in Nevada. Since then, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has received reports of the drug appearing in Missouri, Texas, Washington state, and Wisconsin.